Day 65: Fading Light: An Anthology of the Monstrous: Companion

Born of darkness, the creatures of myth, legend, and nightmare have long called the shadows home. Now, with the cruel touch of the sun fading into memory, they’ve returned to claim their rightful place amidst humanity: as its masters.

It’s time for another edition of Frodo’s Hobbit Sized Reviews! This is where I write a review in the time I have before I go to work or before I go to bed. Short and sweet just like 2nd breakfast!

This companion to the full anthology of the same name features five extra stories, ones that couldn’t be included in the full length novel but were exceptional enough to get Marquitz to create this novella. While the premise behind the companion was good, there are always new ways to show the monsters around us or among us, this companion seems to focus on the more literal of the monstrous. While the first story, Torrential by Regan Campbell, was solid, the rest couldn’t really hold my interest. Roadkill by CM Saunders in particular seemed entirely too invested in creating character depth (even though they never actually came to life as memorable ones, at least to me) and let the “monstrous” play as more of a joke than anything else. I would be willing to give the full length anthology a chance because I think the intent behind it and the direction Marquitz wants to go could work, but this companion didn’t do it for me. Good effort on Campbell’s part as the exception among the five.

Just too much dialogue and not enough oomph for my taste. Thanks as always for reading, come back again tomorrow for Day 66! ^.^

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My Rating System

5 Smiling Frodos - I LOVED the book! This is one of my absolute favorites and I will reread it countless times. Recommended for anyone, a must read!

4 Smiling Frodos - A very good read. It had some very minor flaws that kept it from being a favorite but I definitely enjoyed it and will probably reread it when I get the chance. Recommended for anyone.

3 Smiling Frodos - A good book. There are notable flaws in one (or more) of the major categories (Plot/Characters/World Building/Romance/Writing Style) but it isn't enough to stop the book from being enjoyable. 3 is a POSITIVE rating on this blog! Recommended for fans of the book's genre/book's author.

2 Smiling Frodos - A decent book. There are notable flaws in multiple major categories. Too many issues to be a reread. If I rate it a 2 I am not unhappy I read it but I don't recommend the book. Read only if you LOVE the author/series.

1 Smiling Frodo - I'm not a fan. Major issues across the board. Bad flow and feel, major category issues (usually at least 3/5), didn't like the writing and/or the choices the author made. Books receiving a 1 I barely made myself finish, skip it.